The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases
Chapter 60 - 59: Challenge

Chapter 60: Chapter 59: Challenge

The scattered escape of the High Elf prisoners of war was entirely expected by David, and it failed to provoke his Wrath.

After all, in any world, unless under extremely special circumstances, one shouldn’t even bother hoping for a group of conscripted prisoners of war to possess much combat ability.

Being able to mop up stragglers, clean up the battlefield, provide partial logistical support during favorable engagements, and retain at least half of their formation without deserting after combat would already be considered ’strict military discipline’.

But this bizarre situation, where the battle hadn’t even started and her ’subordinates’ had almost all fled before even reaching the battlefield, instantly shattered the composure of Lizrite, the mother Red Dragon, who was facing such a formidable enemy for the first time.

She stared intently at the young mother Green Dragon, whose posture was noble and alluring, while her jaws rapidly snapped, CLICK-CLICK-CLICK:

What do I do? Run in two directions?

David adopted the same posture and followed with a CLICK-CLICK-CLICK:

And here I thought you were about to say you should run first and I’d hold her off for you?

Are you mad, or am I? Quick, make a decision! Otherwise, I’m going to bolt! Lizrite snorted, sparks flying from her nostrils.

Then you go first. I want to stay and ’have a dance’ with this lady—a dance on the Grim Reaper’s knife edge.

"Have you truly gone mad?! She’s a young dragon!" Lizrite finally couldn’t help but roar.

He must have lost his mind, she thought. At a time like this, even if their opponent knew his mother was the great Crimson Calamity Pafila, it would make no difference.

They were, after all, in another dragon’s territory—a Dragon Nest piled high with treasure.

According to the unspoken rules among dragons, such an intrusion was considered a life-threatening provocation.

In such situations, dragons wouldn’t care whose child an intruder was if they weren’t willing to abandon their hoard and territory.

They would then have every right and reason to retaliate with full force.

"It’s precisely because she’s a young dragon that this fight is worthwhile..." David’s lips stretched into a ferocious grin, as if he had genuinely gone mad.

"David Uthos!!! You..."

Lizrite’s voice, though seemingly close, felt to David as if it were rapidly receding, to the point that he paid no attention to whatever she said next.

His entire attention was fixated on the young Green Dragon, who seemed to be listening to their whispers with amusement, an air of absolute confidence about her. He licked the red dragon horn on the tip of his snout, inexplicably excited.

Life has been too comfortable recently, he mused, so comfortable I’ve actually started to feel a bit bored. Of course, I know it’s the belligerent, insane streak in my red dragon blood acting up. But for some time now, I’ve started to secretly enjoy this thrilling sensation of constantly dancing on the edge of death and danger, so much so that I’m in too deep to get out. Was it from the moment I successfully took revenge on the Drow? Or when I fought those Ogres? That time at the southern foothills, when I fought a hundred alone? Or was it when I went to face Dragon Mother? I don’t remember, and I can’t be bothered to think about it. All I know is that even though my rational mind tells me it’s impossible at my age to defeat a young Green Dragon with her wealth of survival and combat experience, I still want to push past my presumed limits and find out what they truly are. Perhaps that’s it... When you carry a sharp blade, the urge to kill naturally follows! Ha!

Mirroring the challengers from the age of great dragons, David sneered and announced his name:

"Indeed! I am the son of the Crimson Calamity! Saphistouin David Uthos! Today, I enter your lair to pay my respects! Let us... duel to the death! ROAR!!!"

The young mother Green Dragon, who had been observing the two young red dragons’ antics with keen interest, seemed somewhat taken aback by David’s earnest imitation of the ancient dragons’ solemn territorial challenge.

The look in his eyes, as if he wanted to devour her whole, particularly stirred something within her.

She was just about to laugh and tell David that they were neighbors, so there was no need for such extremism.

But then she saw the red dragon unleash a scorching Dragon Breath without any preparatory inhale, leaving her momentarily stunned.

The cone-shaped inferno instantly engulfed the Green Dragon’s form and ignited her lair, which resembled a colossal bird’s nest.

Before the Green Dragon could escape the flames, David’s wings snapped open, jets of fire erupting from their trailing edges, and he rocketed into the inferno like a fighter jet.

"He’s insane! Absolutely..." Lizrite, witnessing the scene unfold but utterly powerless to stop the reckless youth, felt a chill run down her spine.

That was a young adult dragon! They were separated by an entire juvenile stage, at least! Her body was more than twice his size—how on earth could he fight that?!

If this were her old self, struggling for survival in the forest, she would have undoubtedly followed her instincts and fled. But for some reason, David’s defiant stance, his utter lack of hesitation, and his decisive, all-out Dragon Breath attack ignited a strange fire deep within her, a fellow red dragon.

A fire, perhaps, called... Courage!

Damn it! I must be crazy too!

Suddenly galvanized by this Courage, Lizrite roared, "David Uthos! Don’t be reckless! Wait for me—I’ll provide Dragon Breath support—"

However, before the word "support" fully left her maw, she heard an alluring chuckle from behind.

Not good! Lizrite barely had time to shout a warning that the Green Dragon David had attacked might be an Illusion when she felt a cold touch on her neck, and paralysis rapidly spread from there throughout her body.

"Shhh, little one. Go rest down below for a while. Be a good girl and don’t get in the way."

Lizrite strained her eyes sideways, watching in Despair as the mother Green Dragon materialized beside her. The older dragon ’kissed’ her neck with a soft chuckle, then, with a single claw, pushed her from the edge of the now-burning Dragon Nest.

Her remaining strength only allowed her to partially open her wings and glide to a protruding ledge on the cliff face. From there, she watched helplessly as the Green Dragon, like a majestic giant leopardess, gracefully stalked towards the burning Dragon Nest—towards David.

Ah... why does it always end up like this... An overwhelming sense of defeat washed over her.

It was just like the helplessness she’d felt watching her own mother descend step by step into madness, powerless to prevent the slow, inevitable catastrophe.

Yet, at the same time, the venom from the Green Dragon seemed to cool her mind, which had been boiling like lava:

Wait, why didn’t she kill me when she had the chance? Given the earlier situation, the Green Dragon had a thousand ways to dispose of me effortlessly. So why spare my life? Does she want to capture me alive, like David does with his enemies? What is she planning?

A chilling Despair, mixed with panic, began to grip Lizrite.

She hadn’t felt anything like this even when she first faced David!

David, for all his power, had only ever represented the absolute physical superiority of a dragon her own age.

But this Green Dragon... she couldn’t fathom her actions or thoughts at all.

This was... absolute domination on a cognitive, logical level.